Here We Are
by foreverwriting9
Summary: He thinks they sound kind of like a true love story. Post-ep for 'Blue Bird'.


**Just a quick post-ep while I work on something longer. Can I just say how much I loved this episode? Because I really loved this episode.**

* * *

He kisses Lisbon.

Because he loves her and she finally knows and he really wants to seize the opportunity to slide his tongue along hers. (It's been a long time coming.)

She tastes like tears and peppermint.

Jane sighs into her mouth, letting everything else fall away, and just focusing on her. Lisbon. His darling, dearest Lisbon. Who chose him. Who got off the plane and left behind DC, stability, goodness, and fantastic job opportunities. For him. God, he'll try so hard to be good to her. He'll treat her like a queen and she'll scowl and roll her eyes in return. Maybe aim a kick at his shins every once in a while. She'll not so secretly enjoy every second of it.

He thinks they sound kind of like a true love story.

Lisbon's tongue brushes the roof of his mouth, and he lets out an involuntary groan. It's been ages since he kissed anyone like this. It's soft and warm and speaks volumes because he loves her, he loves her, _he loves her._

After a few minutes, he realizes that his good leg has started cramping, and he pulls away from her reluctantly. "Apparently I can only balance on one leg for so long," he says. "It's a serious flaw in my otherwise perfect physical condition."

She looks like she might say something biting but stops herself, content with just giving him a raised eyebrow. Her cheeks are so pink and her eyes so dark though that the look doesn't quite have the desired effect.

Jane sinks back down into his chair and props his twisted ankle up next to him. The silence falls between them comfortably, and somehow it feels just like old times but also like something new and unbelievably precious all at once. He shouldn't have waited so long to do this. He should have already dedicated years to kissing her, to memorizing the exact shade of her eyes and the way her curls feel between his fingers. What a foolish, foolish man he was for try letting all of that go.

He'll just have to start making up for lost time.

Jane begins by trying to map out the freckles scattered across her nose, but his attention keeps being drawn inexplicably back to her mouth. "I hopped a fence for you," he whispers almost reverently. He still can't really believe that he did it. But he was desperate, and if he's learned anything in the course of his life it's that people will do anything when they're desperate enough.

Lisbon rolls her eyes at him affectionately. "I'm sure it was very heroic," she says indulgently, like she's trying to preserve his fragile male ego.

He gives her a self-deprecating grin. "It wasn't." But it was worth it.

She laughs and it hits him how badly he wants to listen to that sound for the rest of his life. The longing must stretch out across his face, because she stops and looks at him, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"What?"

Jane shakes his head. "Nothing," he says, because it's too soon to tell her everything he imagines for them. She opens her mouth to push for an answer, but he interrupts. "Let's go home."

The answering smile blooms across her face. "Okay," she says, sounding relieved and happy and this is all he ever wanted for her. "Okay." She stands up and moves to his side of the table, reaching out to help him up. He accepts the offer for support willingly, and once they've got him standing, he slides his arms around her.

"Thank you," he whispers into her hair. He means _thank you for everything_, and she understands.

"What are partners for?" she asks, wrapping an arm around his back to steady him as they start toward the door.

"Oh," his eyes crinkle mischievously, "I can think of some things."

The smack to his chest is entirely warranted, but the way her pupils dilate gives her away. Jane leans down to steal another kiss, and when he pulls away she brushes a few of his stray curls back into place. "I love you," she says, a little breathless.

The words crush all of the air out of his lungs. He lets his forehead press against hers as he struggles to regain his equilibrium. (_He loves her so much.)_ "I never thought-" It all gets stuck in his throat. All the wishes and promises and doubts suddenly pile up, leaving him speechless.

But this is important, and if they're going to make this work he needs to find a way to reconcile his past and his present. His eyes slip closed as he swallows thickly. Lisbon's fingers brush along his jaw and he recognizes the gesture of comfort even with his eyes shut. "I just never thought I would have someone say those words to me ever again," he admits, voice breaking somewhere in the middle of the sentence.

When he finally opens his eyes, she's staring at him, gaze deep green and full of understanding. "Well, now you have me," she says softly, and then adds, "For as long as you want me."

He can feel the moment his grin becomes too wide and goofy, because he wants her for forever and she seems to be offering him just that. "Yeah?" he asks, and he can hardly hear himself over the beat of _forever, forever_ pounding against his skull.

Lisbon nods. His steady, loyal, beautiful Lisbon. "Yeah."

"Okay," he whispers, turning away from her and reaching down to pull open the door. The metal of his ring meets the metal of the doorknob, and the resulting sound startles both of them. He had well and truly forgotten about it for the past few hours and now it feels too heavy on his finger. Jane slides his thumb along the cool band, pensive for a moment, and then gives Lisbon a slow, reassuring smile. "I think I want you to hold on to this for me," he says. Once the words are out of his mouth he knows that that is exactly what he wants.

He slides the ring off and presses it into her palm. She takes a moment to look completely and utterly dazed and then wraps her fingers around the ring (gift, promise) tightly. "I'll take good care of it."

"I know you will," he says and he's never been so sure of anything in his life. If he could trust one person on this planet it would be Teresa Lisbon.

He hobbles forward, leaning against her so that they can pass through the door together. He's spent most of this day dreading the future, hating the endless stretch of days awaiting him. But now, with her, there are hundreds of options spreading out in front of him, choices to be made and a life to live. Everything suddenly seems so much brighter, so much better. Sure, he still has some progress to make, but they're going to be okay.

In fact, they're going to be far, far better than okay.

As the door swings shut behind them, a knocking sound reverberates through the now empty room. "Hey, come back!" the flustered TSA agent shouts, knocking even louder when he realizes they haven't heard him. "You haven't been cleared to leave yet!"


End file.
